


Nightmares and Ghosts

by scarlettholly



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-08 15:08:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20837549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarlettholly/pseuds/scarlettholly
Summary: Continuous nightmares force Lysithea to remember why she's afraid of ghosts.





	Nightmares and Ghosts

**Author's Note:**

> Quick warning, this fic isn't very pleasant at the start... tw for death, panic attacks, vomiting and nightmares.

Lysithea woke in a cold sweat. Sitting up in her bed she heaved for air, trying to calm herself down. She started counting, _one, two, three, four, five..._

After reaching thirty, the world didn't feel like was ending anymore.

However she was still stressed and felt restless. Getting out of bed and stretching, Lysithea considered continuing on with her studying. She struck a match and lit the candle resting on the desk. "The History of Warlocks" was an extremely boring book written by a condescending man. Lysithea couldn't stand reading it especially not now.

She closed her eyes, realising her mistake as she saw quick flashes of the awful memories she tried so hard to forget. The nightmares had distrbed her subconscious, bringing them back. Sharply turning her head away from the book, she decided to go for a walk to clear her mind. Wandering the halls at night was scary, she thought of ghosts and her shoulders tensed.

_Lysithea's dad used to play light pranks on her as a child, telling her about a ghost that lived in the old stone tower. Determined to prove her dad wrong, she stepped up the stone staircase in the dead of night. It was cold and Lysithea was terrified but her little feet didn't stop._

_Once she reached the top, there was a large room which had been used for storage. Boxes and things child Lysithea had no clue about other than they looked boring. The one thing that did look exciting was the window._

_Looking out little Lysithea gasped in excitement. The tower wasn't that high up but as a little child, she felt like she was on top of the world. Proud of her achievements she went back to her room, excited to tell her father the next day that ghosts weren't real and that she wasn't scared of them._

Lysithea tried to shake her head, she didn't want to think about any of that now, it was far too painful. Forcing it down she continued on with her walk however she was powerless to stop the one image that had always haunted her come to mind.

_Her little sister's dead body. Pained expression, pale skin, bloodshot eyes and bulging veins._

_Back then when she saw what used to be her sister, child Lysithea froze, staring at it, unable to comprehend death. Her sister couldn't just be gone, she was running around, chasing Mummy with a worm the day before?_

_Her little mind thought of the old tower and Lysithea wondered where her sister's ghost was. Was it in the tower? Was her brother there too? Were they angry at her for not protecting them?_

_She wondered if she was going to become a ghost as well, would she go to the tower, or somewhere else?_

Forced to remember Lysithea started to shake, she ran with everything she had, wanting desperately to get outside. The cold air hit her and Lysithea knew she had made it, she collapsed in a fit of coughing

She felt sick to her stomach, unable to stand it anymore, Lysithea threw up.

Her throat burned but the coughing had now subsided. Throwing her head to look up at the sky Lysithea tried to focus on the stars. Hoping that would make her feel a little more grounded in reality.

For some reason the night sky’s awe inspiring vastness with a few bright lights of hope always provided comfort to Lysithea. She stayed there for a while, her terrified shaking turned to shivers as she finally calmed down.

Lysithea was embarrassed by her situation she stood up and dusted herself off, wanting to get back to her room as soon as possible. She drank a glass of water then tried to rest, however sleep didn't come easy. Lying down in bed, staring up at the ceiling Lysithea forced her eyes closed. After tossing and turning she eventually fell asleep.

  
~~~~~~~~~

  
The next morning Lysithea could barely keep her eyes open. She was just as stressed and the memories she tried desperately to forget still lingered faintly. Still pretending everything was fine she extended class as usual.

The next night the same nightmares came and there was a repeat of before but this time Lysithea was a little more prepared.

Sitting on the low stone wall just outside she had managed to control her violent reaction. Stopping herself from throwing up a second time and calming down much quicker. Lysithea had brought a coat with her so she could stare up at the stars without having to worry about the cold.

Lysithea wondered why this was happening now, she had nightmares from time to time and occasionally they would be bad. However these nightmares were really suffocating.

Lysithea breathed out a sigh. "Two nights in a row..."

It had been worse before Lysithea was determined to survive this just like she did then.

Lysithea refused to give up now, instead she headed back to her room. Focusing on the ground in front of her and trying to ignore the idea of ghosts. Once in bed Lysithea tossed and turned, struggling to sleep but it came eventually.

Lysithea continued on the next day as if nothing was wrong but her act didn't last long.

During combat training Lysithea passed out.

She awoke in her room, blinking a few times while she released where she was, then trying to sit up.

"Hey! Lysithea, don't try and get up so soon!"

Looking over Lysithea realised it was her friend Leonie. "What happened?" She asked, ignoring her friend completely and getting out of bed anyway.

"Honestly..." Leonie muttered rolling her eyes. "You passed out, not for long but Byleth wants you to rest!"

Lysithea shook her head. "I'm fine really, give me a moment and I can head back to class."

Leonie let out a sigh, knowing the other woman wasn't going to give up. "At least eat something, I got you some food to keep your strength up." She gestured to the table which had a bowl of soup, bread and, to Lysithea's surprise, some sweets.

"Thank you Leonie!" She said, reaching for the sweets first.

"Don't..." Leonie paused, staring at the other woman who was already shoving sweets into her mouth. "Nevermind… Get well soon Lysithea, I'll see you in class."

Lysithea had to chew fast, swallowing down her food in time to say goodbye. "See you in class and... Thank you once again Leonie..."

The redhead just waved her hand dismissively with a grin. "Don't mention it."

The door closed and she was alone. Lysithea didn't have much of an appetite for anything other than sweets. She still felt a constant nausea but forced herself to eat anyway, knowing it was important to keep her strength up. She sat back for a few minutes, trying to prepare herself for the rest of the day. She didn't want to get up but Lysithea refused to waste anymore time.

Heading back to class Lysithea reassured everyone that she felt a lot better now and was okay enough to carry on. Byleth didn't buy it but still let her continue today's lessons.

~~~~~~~~~

When she slept the exact same thing happened again. Waking in a sweat from awful nightmares, she grabbed her coat and dashed outside. Lysithea found the same low stone wall and sat on it like the night before.

Images from the past burned into her mind's eye and the ever present fear of ghosts weighing down on her. Breathing out a heavy sigh, Lysithea wondered if she would ever be free of this pain. Managing it was hard, she was exhausted and nearing her limit.

Still she refused to give up. The stars continued to shine for her and the shaking eventually stopped.

"Lysithea?" A voice called.

After a second of squinting in the low light Lysithea realised who it was. "Edelgard?" She asked in surprise.

"Trouble sleeping?" The older woman asked kindly, walking up to her and taking a seat on the wall next to Lysithea.

"Yeah." She answered honestly.

Lysithea wasn't too sure why she found herself able to put her trust in the older woman. Edelgard was the leader of a different house and truthfully Lysithea didn't really know much about her. However there was something in the way Edelgard spoke and that ghostly white hair that led Lysithea to suspect that their pasts were similar.

"Nightmares?" Edelgard asked sombrely.

Lysithea quietly nodded in reply. It was times like these when Edelgard's words confirmed that she had gone through the same awful experiments. Lysithea desperately wanted to ask the older woman about her past but she feared it would be too personal. Hoping one day Edelgard and her could speak about their experiences Lysithea kept quiet.

She also noted the way her heart beat faster around Edelgard and how her own gaze lingered for just a second longer than it should. Lysithea was no fool, she was aware of what these feelings were and wished for them to be gone.

Edelgard turned to Lysithea and flashed her a sympathetic smile. "Terrifying are they not?" The older woman asked.

Lysithea nodded once again. "How often do you get them?" She asked, wanting to say something and carry on the conversation.

"Almost every night, sometimes they are less..." Edelgard paused for a moment thinking. "Intense."

The younger woman didn't reply she just stared up into the night sky, focusing on the stars, trying to see if she could spot any constellations.

"Does getting fresh air help you?" Edelgard asked curiously, following Lysithea's gaze to the sky.

"Yeah, I feel like I'm suffocating and being out here where the stars always shine, helps a lot..."

The older woman fell silent for a moment before opening her mouth to speak. "I'm the opposite, I feel like everything is too much and I like the security of my own bed, although fresh air can be nice too..." Edelgard muttered, still staring off into the night sky.

Lysithea pondered Edelgard's words for a moment and while she didn't really feel the same, she could understand how that would help someone cope

Wanting the comfort of touch and feeling sympathy for the older woman Lysithea moved her hand, placing it over Edelgard's.

Edelgard pulled her hand away instantly and Lysithea felt a knot form in her stomach. "Sorry." She said, lowering her gaze down to her boots. She hoped this had not ruined the nice moment between the two of them and made the older woman uncomfortable.

"Don't be." Edelgard replied, placing her gloved hand next to Lysithea's.

Lysithea faintly felt smooth skin of Edelgard’s glove at the edge of her pinky finger. She realised that this was as much touch Edelgard was comfortable with.

The younger woman was content with that, she smiled at Edelgard, who smiled back. The two of them sat on the low stone wall while the stars shone for them.

Lysithea wondered if the next night will be filled with the same terrors. Deciding even if they were, she could handle them. Eventually things would calm and the nights would get easier.

**Author's Note:**

> This was actually kind of cathartic to write... ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Thank you so much for reading ^^


End file.
